Professional development school partnerships can improve teaching and learning in our schools. To support these partnerships, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) developed standards for professional development schools. In this article, we address the questions, "What NCATE standards work from the point of…

Service-learning experiences for college students are increasing in popularity. Although youth mentoring is thought to be a significant service-learning experience for students, data in this area are lacking. This study evaluates a unique school-based service-learning mentoring experience at a midsized Midwestern university. Data were collected…

The purpose of this project was to investigate stakeholders' perspectives on coursework and the role of mentors within a unique teacher education program for prospective teachers of mathematics in an alternative-route-to-licensure program. The alternative route reflects a partnership between an institution of higher education, a state office of…

Mentoring programs for beginning teachers have garnered much attention in the field of education in the past decade. There is an increasing call for the redefinition of the traditional mentoring program, which often caters only to the first-year teacher, providing primarily emotional and procedural support. The Plymouth Public Schools (PPS) has…

The purpose of this study was to explore faculty members' perceptions of community college Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs); whose main purpose is to promote, facilitate, and honor excellence in teaching and learning through the support of full-time and adjunct faculty, at all career stages. A generic qualitative study with a grounded…

In this article, we describe the development and feasibility evaluation of Parents and Tots Together (PTT), a family-based obesity prevention intervention that embeds weight-related messages within a general parenting programme. To inform the development of PTT, we conducted 5 focus groups with 19 racially/ethnically diverse parents to examine…

This article describes qualitative findings regarding lessons learned from research and demonstration projects in four states focused on the implementation of clinical supervision within their public child welfare agencies. This was part of a larger mixed methods study of the effectiveness of these new clinical supervision models on practice,…

Lack of published studies on students' practice behaviour of physical examination skills outside timetabled training sessions inspired this study into what activities medical students undertake to improve their skills and factors influencing this. Six focus groups of a total of 52 students from Years 1-3 using a pre-established interview guide.…

Dual-degree programs are intended to prepare graduates to work in a global job market by providing more extensive international experiences, thus enhancing their employability. These programs typically take longer to complete and cost more, yet there is little documentation regarding their effectiveness. This study was designed to examine…

To engage recipients of Extension science-based video programming involves understanding what behaviors and decisions the recipients may be considering that can be affected by the programming. Such understanding may be developed through interviews, focus groups, and surveys, which should provide guidance for elements of the style and content of…

In general, youth whose parents are involved in their schooling experience better academic outcomes. Yet some parents, especially those with few resources in low-income urban communities, face barriers to becoming engaged in school and community. This report from the field describes the "Neighboring Project Parent Empowerment and Volunteer…

Undergraduate college students are at a crucial point in the development of significant health behaviors, most notably related to physical activity and dietary intake. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively determine whether participation in a Lifetime Fitness for Health (LFH) curriculum in college had short-term and long-term benefits…

Using a Classroom Response System (CRS) has been associated with positive educational outcomes, by fostering student engagement and by allowing immediate feedback to both students and instructors. This study examined a low-cost CRS (VotApedia) in a large first-year class, where students responded to questions using their mobile phones. This study…

This qualitative case study investigated the perception of school safety, what current policies and procedures were effective, and what policies and procedures should be implemented. Data were collected in two steps, by survey and focus group interview. Analysis determined codes that revealed several themes relevant to the perception of school…

Since 2006, UK policy has identified a professionalisation agenda for staff working in early childhood education and care settings. This has included the development of graduate leaders with a specific purpose to lead improvements in these settings by leading change, and hence improving outcomes for children. This article reports on findings from…